Protect Your Finances

Discounts. Don’t you just love them? They’re spread all over the Internet for all manner of purchase and you start to feel disappointed if you don’t get one. But when it comes to online discounts, all is not what it seems. You could still end up paying more than you need to for that supposed bargain.

The Social Security Administration and Office of the Inspector General continue to receive reports of scammers impersonating SSA employees over the phone, to request personal information or money. Imposters may threaten you and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or legal action. Do not fall for it!

With pandemic scares still buzzing around and so many of us pressed for time, more Americans than ever will be doing most or all of their holiday shopping online this year. And with nearly a third of all retail sales happening between now and Christmas, scammers are already stepping up their game.

Fake airport security websites are tricking travelers into revealing personal details for identity theft or stealing money by demanding fee payments. With the holiday season fast approaching and more people choosing to return to air travel, the sites are cashing in on passengers’ efforts to clear security as quickly as possible.

Everyone loves a deal – including scammers. Con artists often offer too good to be true discounts in the hope that price-conscious consumers will jump on these “deals” without doing their research. Recently, BBB Scam Tracker has seen numerous reports of scammers impersonating well-known companies and offering discounts, some of which are COVID-19 themed.

This latest skim scam is popping up just in time to steal your gift giving spirit and your money but being aware of it can help PayPal shoppers avoid becoming the next victim.

The U.S. Government launched a new website to help the public defend against the rise in ransomware. www.StopRansomware.gov brings together all the resources of the U.S. government

Family emergency scams try to scare people into sending money to help a loved one in trouble. The fraud can play out in many ways, but the hustle is the same: the caller lies, tries to scare you, and rushes you to pay so you don’t have time to think twice or check things out before you send money. And once you do that, you’ll never get it back.

A VPN protects your personal information (and all communications) through encryption from end to end. Without it, every place you go on WI-FI is vulnerable to hacking.

If your identity is stolen, your credit history could be be used for a whole host of purposes such as credit fraud, income tax fraud, or healthcare fraud. Perhaps even all of them. Someone could potentially become you.

Consumers need to know that the information on your report is accurate. And if it’s wrong, you want to make sure someone didn’t steal your identity.

If you're a Facebook user, have you ever wondered why some of your "friends" post items they ask you to copy and paste rather than share?

QR codes, they're everywhere, and more and more of us are happy to use them, seemingly without being aware of the dangers they pose.